Major Diseases Being Addressed With Over 230 Medicines in Development for Children

America’s pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are developing 234 medicines for the special health care needs of children, according to a new report released today by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)

“Our researchers, who lead the world in pharmaceutical innovation, are working on new treatments to fight a wide range of major diseases and medical disorders that afflict children all over America,” said PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin. “Our companies’ targets include childhood cancer, the leading cause of death among Americans between the ages of 5 and 24, and an array of genetic disorders, including cystic fibrosis, a debilitating and fatal condition that affects 30,000 children and adults in the United States.”

The new Medicines in Development for Children report was unveiled today at Trinity Moline by PhRMA Senior Vice President Ken Johnson. He stressed that biopharmaceutical research companies are key contributors to today’s steady progress against childhood diseases.

Today, because of major treatment advances, 80 percent of children diagnosed with cancer will survive five years or longer, compared to a five-year survival rate of less than 50 percent 30 years ago. Progress has also been made against childhood pneumonia.

According to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, pneumonia deaths among children dropped 97 percent between 1939 and 1996, thanks in part to antibiotics that prevent deaths from not only pneumonia, but also scarlet fever and other diseases that used to claim the lives of children.

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Scientists Honored With Discoverers Award for Development of Innovative HIV Medicine

Three scientists who led the 11-year quest to develop a groundbreaking HIV drug received the 2010 Discoverers Award -- the highest honor given to scientists by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The honorees are Tony Wood, Ph.D., Elna van der Ryst, M.D., Ph.D. and Manos Perros, Ph.D.

PhRMA's Discoverers Award recognizes scientists whose work has greatly benefited mankind.

"These extraordinary honorees not only have saved untold numbers of lives, but have also improved the quality of lives for many HIV patients," said Billy Tauzin. "All three devoted a significant portion of their lives to developing this medicine. We are proud to pay tribute to their skills and to their perseverance as they overcame huge obstacles."

See Virus Weekly for more information on the award and honorees